In all the years I’ve been reading your
“Notable Quotables” on media goofs, I’ve never found you in error and never
far off base. In your July 28 flyer, you are flat wrong in your criticism of
Bob Schieffer in “Why Inquiring Minds Don’t Watch Face the Nation.” In his
July 13 questioning of Sen. Arlen Specter about China’s reported attempt to
influence U.S. elections, Shieffer said: “You say you have evidence that the
money came from the Bank of China and then in turn was passed on. But you know
the Bank of China, they don’t just have money from the Chinese government
there. It would be like I got something from the Fort Worth National Bank,
that wouldn’t mean it would come necessarily from the Fort Worth City Council.
They keep money from a lot of different people there. Where’s the connection
between the government and going into this, into the campaign?”

To tell you the truth, Brent, I thought
this was one of Schieffer’s best moments this year. He was the only journalist
I saw -- although I suppose there were some I didn’t see -- who correctly
pointed out that the Bank of China is a commercial bank, not a government
bank. If the funds had come from the People’s Bank of China, you would have a
case against Clinton and so would the GOP. The Bank of China is our equivalent
of the Bank of America. Senator Specter, who I’m sure knows better, played
rather fast and loose with his allegations, but then you recall he has been a
prosecuting attorney. The more the Thompson hearings unfold, the clearer it
becomes that the government of China did not involve itself in financing
American political campaigns, or we would have turned up something more
conclusive than the wispy stuff about Johnny Chung writing a check against the
Bank of China.

[“Notable Quotables” is a bi-weekly
compilation of the latest outrageous, sometimes humorous, quotes in the
liberal media, published by L. Brent Bozell, III at the Media Research Center,
113 South West St. Alexandria, Va. 22314, (703) 683-9733. Daily bias updates
are available at: http://www.mediaresearch.org
]